Thread-cabinet



'2 Sheets -Sheet 1,

(No Model.)

H. T. LUSTER. I

THREAD CABINET. No. 514,947 I Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

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" --UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICEr HORACE T. LUS'IER, OF BEREA, OHIO.

THREAD-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,947, dated February 20, 1894. ApplicationfiledMarchH, 1892. SerialNo.426,295. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE T. LUSTER, of Berea, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread Holders or Cabinets; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in thread-holders or cabinets, wherein the spools of thread are kept in upright or inclined tubes or holders, adapted to accommodate the spools crosswise and opening into a chute or inclined trough; and my invention consists more especially in mechanism whereby a single spool of thread may be cut off from the row or file of spools in the respective tubes or'holders. Y

My invention consists, also, in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is my invention, portions being broken away and sectioned to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 2wis a side elevation in section, showing a suitable construction of cut 'ofi mechanism. 'Fig. 3 is a horizontal section,

on line 3-3, Fig. 2, illustrative of the cut-off mechanism. Fig. 4 is a plau'view ofthe but ton for manipulating the'cut-off mechanism, said button bearing distinguishing marks, figures, letters, or characters, to indicate the number and the color of the thread contained within the tube or holder with whose cut-off mechanism said button is operatively connected.

A represents the casing of the cabinet. Withinthis casing, at the lower end thereof,

are located chutes or inclined troughs, B, that are preferably of sheet metal and supported by slats a at the sides of the cabinet and rest upon the bottom of the latter, as at a. The

two troughs shown, constitute substantially v one trough that is supported at the ends by inet is provided with a corresponding opening that registers with the discharge-opening aforesaid of trough or troughs B. Trough or troughs B support upright tubes or holders 0. 'Tubes or holders 0 are preferably made of sheetmetal and soldered to, and opening into, trough B.

The'cabinet shown has two tiers of upright tubes or holders 0, located the one tier in front'of the other with the tubes or holders of the rear tier arranged to break joints, as it were, with the tubes or holders in the forward tier. As hereinbefore indicated, tubes or holders 0 are adapted to accommodate the spools of thread crosswise.

Suitable cut-0E mechanism is provided for each tube or holder 0 whereby a single spool of thread may be cut off from the row or file of spools'within the respective tube or holder, and allowed to drop into trough B below and slide or roll down the latter to and out pivoted, respectively, a tilting-lever, E, as at e.

Referring, first, to the cut-off mechanism for the tubes or holders 0 in the forward tier of tubes or holder, each tilting-lever, E, at opposite ends, has operatively connected therewith, as at g, a slide, G, and the upper end of the tilting-lever,adjacent the attachment of the respective slide, has also connected therewith, a rod, H, the latter extending forward through perforations in plate D and the front side of the cabinet, respectively, and terminating outside of the cabinet in a button, I. Slides G of the cut-off mechanism of tubes or holders 0 are located a distance apart lap-j proximately equal to the diameter o'f the f' spool of thread that the respective tube or holder is designed to carry, and the tube or holder, a corresponding distance apart, is slotted horizontally preferably both at the front and at either side, as at c c 0'.

too

Slots 0 c c are adapted to accommodate the passage of slides G in and out of tube or holder 0 and the bottom walls of slots 0' c atford ample bearing for the respective slides, the latter extending preferably somewhat at either side of the respective tube or holder, as shown at G, Fig. 3. By the construction just described, slides G will adequately sup port the row or file of spools of thread without liability of being deranged by the weight of the spools of thread or otherwise, and extending somewhat at either side of the respective tube or holder, as aforesaid, they are not likely to be displaced from the bearing adorded by the bottom walls of the slots (3" 0.

Rod H at the rear of the front side of the cabinet is. provided with a pin or shouldenh, and upon, rod, H, between pin or shoulder, h, and. the front ide of plate, D, is mountedand confined, a spring, .1, preferably a coil-sprin g, as shown, said spring acting in the direction against pin or shoulder, h. The arrangement of parts is such, that in the normal position of the cut-off mechanism, with pin or shoulden]; abutting the adjacent surface of the front wall of the cabinet, upper slide Gwill bepractically withdrawn from therespective tubeorholder, and the. lower slide G, will be inposition supporting. the file. of. spools of thread, asshown more clearly in Fig. 2. If it is nowdesired to, cut off a spool of thread from thefile. of spools in the respective tube onholder, this can readily be eifected by the required pressure of the thumb, or finger, of one, hand upon button, I, in the direction to compress spring J. The upper and lower slideswill be moved in opposite directions,

theupper slide being broughtinto a. position to hold back and support all but the lowermost spool of thread, and the lower slide being withdrawn from the tube or holder sufficientlyfar to release the lowermost spool in thetube or holder, and permit the same to.

dropintotrough, B, below, the spoohthus released, rolling or sliding down said, trough to .the discharge-opening of the cabinet, where it is caught by the operator, the. latter having his other handin readiness for the purpose. Upon removing the pressure of the thumb or finger. from button I, the cutoff-mechanism will, by theaction of spring J, be returnedto its normal: position, withdrawing the upper slide, and. bringing the lower slide in position.

to. support the spools within the respective tube or holder, the row or file of spools of course advancingthe distance that was. occupied by the spool discharged.

The cut-0d mechanism for the rear tier of tubes is substantially the same as that already described, excepting that rod II, isextended through the space between the adjacent tubes or holders of the forward tier, and instead of tilting-lever E, being connected directly to the respective slides, the upper end of the tilting-lever is pivoted to rod I-I,

as at g and the lower end of the respective tilting-lever is pivotally connected with the lower slide by means of a link, K. There is, of cour uificient space between the tubes or holders of the forward tier of tubes or holders, and between the forward and rear tiers of tubes or holders, to accommodate the operation of the cut-off mechanism of the tubes or holders at the rear.

The tubes or holders, and the cut-off mechanism, excepting buttons, I, and the forward end of rods II, are of course invisible from outside the cabinet, and as the tubes or holders, O, areof different sizes, and accordingly are designed to receive coarser or finer thread,

as the case may be, and thread of a certain color, some suitable means should be provided, whereby, the different threads (referring to. color and to. number of fineness or coarseness); may be. readily located.

In the drawings. is illustrated acabinetdesigned for black and white thread, thetubes or holders at oneside of the cabinet, being designed to receive the black thread, and the tubes or holders at thev otherside of the cab inet being designed to. receive white thread. As shown more clearly in Fig. 4, I provide the face of but-tons, I, with a figure or-figures to. correspond withthenumber of thread contained within the tube. or holder with whose cut-oif mechanism the respective button is operatively connected, and I employ black and white figures, according as. the thread is black or white.

Referring again. to. Fig. 4: button I that bears figure 91in white upon a black background, would indicate that the tube or holder with whose cut-0d mechanism said button was operatively connected, contained white thread No. 9, (the. number indicatingthe quality of thread as to coarsenessor fineness) whereas button. I. that bears figure 9: in black upon a white back-ground, would indicate that the tube or holder with whose cut-oif mechanisn said button was. connected, contained black thread No. 9.

What I claim. is.

In a thread-cabinet, a chute or inclined trough in open relationwithlthe outside. of the cabinet, and twotiers of upright holders located the one tier forwardof the other, with the. holders of the one tier arranged to break joints with the holdersofi the other tier, and

with theholders of both tiers of holders in open relation with said troughor chute, in

combination with cut-off mechanisinfor each tube or holder, said cut-off being adapted to be operated from outside the. cabinet and adapted to.release a single spool of thread from the respective. holder and permit the spool to fall. into said; chute or. trough, substantially as set, forth.

In testimony whereof I sign. this specification, in theprcsence of. two witnesses, this 27th day of January, 1892.

HORAGET. LUSTER.

Witnesses:

C. H. Donna, WARD HOOVER.

ICO 

